The clocks have just moved forward, a move welcomed by many as it heralds longer and hopefully brighter and warmer days (though I do rue the loss of that one hour of sleep!)   And talking about all things to do with time and body clocks, it is interesting that the journal of Pediatric … [Read More...]

It’s not often that we come across a new disease entity. There has, however, been a surge in a type of hair loss that was first described in the literature in 1994 in six post-menopausal women in Australia. [Kossard S. Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia. Scarring alopecia in a pattern … [Read More...]

Blue is a funny colour; it can bring out different emotions in people depending on the context; Sadness in the Disney/Pixar movie “Inside Out” versus Luke Skywalker wielding a blue lightsaber. (I have firsthand experience of this from having purchased the latter item recently for a certain family … [Read More...]

Consultant dermatologists see a lot of patients with acne and there are traditionally a few options available to us in the management of acne.   For mild acne, we prescribe topical anti-acne agents.; for moderate to severe papulopustular acne (red spots and pustules), we prescribe topical anti-acne … [Read More...]

If you’re thinking of doing house renovations or simply repainting your home, it can be a logistic nightmare; figuring out whether you have the wherewithal to do it yourself or get the professionals in, then moving furniture and arranging for it all to be done when there are no children or animals … [Read More...]

Though eczema can flare at any time of the year, winter is often a particularly bad time. Why? It’s often a combination of winter coughs and colds, and cold, crispy weather combined with central heating indoors.   Though not all flares in eczema are infective, they can often become … [Read More...]

At the time of writing, the family have returned from our annual summer holiday on the Continent. A lovely relaxing time was had by all. What was also a pleasant surprise was the lack of cigarette smokers and the lack of the often-found detritus of cigarette butts that litter the pavements of … [Read More...]

A couple of our family members are rather keen cyclists. At the time of writing, a school holiday is looming and a cycling holiday is to be expected. It was interesting that Radio 4 broadcast an interview with Dr Jane Sterling, a Consultant dermatologist at Addenbrooke’s hospital on vulval health in … [Read More...]

I’m lucky that we are a family that generally likes our greens though sometimes it can still be a challenging process and sometimes I’m faced with a full-on dinner table revolt!   There is now evidence that certain vegetables eaten in the diet can also provide protection against sun … [Read More...]

I saw a patient recently who came to clinic with a possible disease entity that was quite prevalent in Europe and the UK from the summer of 2006 for a period of time. Believe it or not, it was called ‘sofa dermatitis.’ Fortunately (for his sofa, at least), he didn't have sofa … [Read More...]

Dermatologists not only see rashes all day long but we can also operate and perform skin surgery to remove skin lesions. Patients are also always asking if there are better ways to improve the scar after surgery. We generally recommend massaging white soft paraffin into the scar or using silicone … [Read More...]

I’m not really a great fan of Twitter – I have an account, I scroll through it periodically on my phone when on the train but I never have anything really to say on it. Maybe that’s because I like talking and everything I have to say I cannot condense down to a 140 character … [Read More...]

I was chatting recently to one of my patients. She had recently had her third child in as many years and we were discussing the merits and tribulations of having so many children so close together. The one thing I told her I didn’t miss (amongst quite a few things actually) was the persistent … [Read More...]

Rosacea can be a real pain; sensitive facial skin, redness, easy flushing and then spots. If you’re really unlucky then you can also start to get textural changes to the skin, what dermatologists call rhinophyma.   Then the other pain is that we have no cure for the condition.   There are … [Read More...]

I recently had to pick up one of my children from a party. The centre where the party was held had various function rooms and it was a bit of a job finding her. However, I followed my nose. Why? There was that particular smell of sweat and high sugar concentrations in the air which is unique to … [Read More...]